Eye and vision
Retinal glial cell removing during internal limiting membrane peeling is associated with higher-stage idiopathic epiretinal membrane
By Vogt D, Schmitz C, Dammak A and 5 others.
Abstract
Background
Histological examination of surgically excised internal limiting membrane (ILM) specimens may provide insights into retinal tissue changes, but their relationship to retinal imaging findings remains unclear. The aim of this study was to correlate retinal imaging findings with histological evidence of retinal tissue components in surgically excised ILM specimens from eyes with idiopathic epiretinal membrane (iERM) or full-thickness macular hole (FTMH).
Methods
This retrospective clinicopathological study included 42 eyes that underwent pars plana vitrectomy with membrane peeling at the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Ulm, Germany, between April 2024 and May 2025: 22 eyes with iERM and 20 with FTMH. Surgically excised tissue from all eyes was examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and clinical data and retinal imaging findings obtained by optical coherence tomography (OCT) were evaluated.